Vehicle top sign



Jan. 9, 1934. OCQNNOR 1,942,444

VEHICLE TOP SIGN Filed Feb. 1, 1933 Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE VEHICLE TOP SIGN Frank J. OConnor, Dwight, Ill.

Application February 1, 1933. Serial No. 654,562

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an advertising sign for a vehicle top. My Patent No. 1,885,282 of November 1, 1932 illustrates a sign for the same general purposes as the one herein set forth.

One object of these improvements is to provide a sign of the character described which is of few parts, of notably simple construction, of low manufacturing cost, of light weight, one which offers practically no air resistance to the forward travel of the vehicle, which has a neat and trim appearance, which is held in position strongly yet resiliently against lateral wind pressure, which may be applied for use easily and readily, and which is so constructed, especially in its preferred embodiment, as to permit the same holding elements to be used with variouslysized signs proper, making for notable adaptability to particular purposes, diiierent automobiles, etc.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective View showing my novel sign in its normal position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one of the standards of Fig. 1 showing a fragment of the sign proper and its bayonet slots at one end;

Fig. 4 is a medial vertical sectional view longitudinally through one of the hook elements, the associated flexible band being shown in edge view elevation;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view following Fig. 3 and showing a double standard and associated signs proper.

The structure illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises first two standards A and B which are alike and are given the same reference characters as to the parts. Each is formed of two pieces of flat strip metal (Fig. 2) which may appropriately be of about eighteen-gauge and one and one-half inches wide. These proportions, however, may vary. The two normally vertical and parallel facing parts 10 and 11 are separated sufliciently to receive between them the end of the platelike sign proper 12, which will be of any suitable material such as cardboard, wood, composition board, celluloid, or metal.

The ones illustrated herein may be considered to be of cardboard, about six inches high and of any suitable length. The proportions of the sign proper may vary as preferred.

At 14 and 15 the standard or holder parts flare laterally apart and then turn outward normally horizontally at 16 and 17, thus providing a base adapted to rest (preferably not directly, however) upon the top 18 of the vehicle. The vertical parts 10, 11 are held in spaced and facing relation to each other by two rivets marked 19, V i

there being washers 20 on the rivets respectively and between the parts 10, 11, and thus the opposed standard members are held strongly together as a unit A or B.

Each end of the sign proper,'as 12, has tw bayonet slot constructions marked 22 for the entrance passage and 23 for the normally vertically extending part of the L-shaped slot. One such slot would sufiice, but two are preferred. The end of the sign 12 is passed between the parts 10, 11 with eachrwasher 20 in the associated entrance slot 22 and the sign proper is then pushed downward and the washer 20 then occupies the upper end of the vertical part 23 of the bayonet slot, thus locking the sign proper to the associated standard against longitudinal withdrawal. The sign proper may be removed, of course, by simply reversing these operations. Means for holding the standards strongly yet resiliently and for easy application and removal are shown as two elastic strips marked 25, which are suitably of elastic rubber compound. Each foot 16, 17 is apertured at 26, 27, 28 and 29 with slot-like openings adapted to receive a strip 25 woven in and out through these holes as illustrated, the strip being long enough to extend to the sides of the vehicle top. The strip whenso applied underlies each foot 16, 17 at two places and thus cushions the standard A or B and provides a protective material between the feet 16, 1'7 and the vehicle top whereby the metal feet will not abrade the top; and these rubber bands also frictionally grip upon the top and prevent sliding action thereon, and they also serve. as cushions on which the sign as a whole may rock or yield under vibration of the car, under the lateral wind pressure, and under the momentum and inertia of the sign 'on its floating-like mount- At each end of each of the strips 25 is a hooklike element 8 having a hook proper 8a and being formed of thin sheet metalsay eighteen-gaugeand having four slot-like holes 30, 31, 32 and 33 in the body part, which holes in practice are suitably punched with the sarne die that cuts the holes in the feet 16, 1'7. The end portions of the bands are threaded in and out through these holes as shown, and thus the hook member is held securely and adjustably on the elastic strip and the strip protects and frictionally grips the vehicle top as already described in connection with the foot elements of the device. The hooks 8a engage the drain trough along the sides of the top and thus the device as a whole is held yieldingly yet strongly in its normal position.

In case a considerably-elongated sign proper is desired I may provide an intermediate support C (Fig. 5) which is made in all substantial respects like the ones of A and B except that it is designed to hold the substantially abutting ends of two sign members 35 and 36. The rivets 37 and 38 of the standard C and the bayonet slots 39, 40 of the sign members 35, 36 are as already described, and the application and removal of the signs are also the same as with standards A and B. At C, in short, I have shown nothing distinctive over what is shown at A or B except that standard C is a double sign holder while A and B are single sign holders respectively. The elastic band 25a is the same as band 25 already described, and the rest of the described means for holding the standards A and B are to be understood as being the same for standard C.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an intermediate support 44 comprising a pair of small L-shaped stripmetal parts 45 held together in spaced relation by a rivet and washer at 46 the same as the rivet and washer 19, 20 of Fig. 3, and with feet 47 like the feet 16, 17. The sign proper extends downward between the parts 45. The rubberband 48 and hook 49 are as already described in the other connections. A sign proper as relatively short as the one illustrated in Fig. 1 will ordinarily not require this intermediate support when made of substantially stiff cardboard, but the intermediate support is generally useful when the sign proper is substantially long or is of fairly flexible material, for example thin tin or celluloid.

While I have thus illustrated and described what I consider to be the best mode for carrying the invention into eifect, I contemplate as being included in the present invention all departures from and modifications of what is thus specifically set forth as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sign of the character described, a pair of standards, means for holding said standards resiliently upon a vehicle top in fore and aft relation to each other, a sign proper extending from one of said standards to the other thereof, and cooperating means between each standard and the associated end of the sign proper for readily attaching the sign proper to the standards and for readily releasing the same therefrom.

2. The sign of claim 1 hereof in which said last-mentioned means comprise a bayonet slot formation at each end of the sign proper and each standard has a holding element coacting with said formation.

3. The sign of claim 1 hereof in which each of said standards comprises an upright member providing an elongated normally-vertical opening and said sign is a plate-like member having its ends projecting into said openings in the standards respectively.

4. The sign of claim 1 hereof in which said standards are chiefly of strip material formed of a pair of normally vertical and facing parts and laterally-extending foot parts, the vertical-facing parts of each pair being spaced from each other, the sign proper extending between said facing parts at each end of the sign proper.

5. The sign of claim 1 hereof in which there is also an intermediate support for the sign proper and means for holding said intermediate support yieldingly upon the vehicle top.

6. A standard for a vehicle top sign comprising a pair of strip metal members each having a substantially long normally vertical part and an outwardly-extending foot part, said vertical parts 95 facing each other, and means holding said vertical parts in spaced relation to each other to provide that a plate-like sign proper may extend between said facing parts, the foot parts of the standard being formed for attachment to flex1- ble holding means.

'7. The standard of claim 6 hereof in which the means holding said facing parts extend horizontally from one to the other thereof at at least one place between the top and bottom of said facing parts, and said holding means are adapted to cooperate with the said facing parts in holding a plate-like sign proper positioned between said facing parts and engaging said holding. means.

8. A sign of the character described which includes in its construction a plate-like sign proper having a bayonet slot in one end portion thereof, and a standard having means providing opposed sign-holding elements adapted to engage opposed face portions of the sign proper and maintain it against lateral displacement, and means carried by the standard and adapted to occupy said bayonet slot and maintain the sign proper against longitudinal withdrawal when in its normal operative position.

9. In a sign of the character described, the combination of a sign proper, standards holding the sign proper, and flexible elastic means for holding the standards on a vehicle top having a drain-gutter edge portion, said means including a pair of hooks for each standard for engaging such edge portion, and an elastic band adjustably connected to at least one hook of each pair and adjustably connected to the associated standard, said band having a portion normally between each hook and the vehicle top and a portion normally between each standard and the vehicle top to protect the vehicle top and also to provide a cushioning seat for the standard.

FRANK J. OCONNOR. 

